Hey all,After a couple of days of strong wind & heavy sea’s the crew at Big Bear are back out shaking things up. You don’t have to travel far as we are finding generous limits of feeder’s right at the harbours mouth. All the regular tricks are working, 4” coyotes in the metallic blue/silver, as well as the cop car are producing well. The anchovy in the purple haze and chartreuse teasers have been consistent at depths of 70-100 feet. Halibut fishing is to excellent right now with fish in the 20-50 lb. range hitting the dock regularly. Extra-large herring as well as the 8” grub from Berkley in white and glow.Check us out atwww.bigbearsalmoncharters.com or give our office a call at 1-855-9SALMON

Hey All,The crew at Big Bear have been hitting her hard. The usual haunts have been producing with some nicer fish approaching 20lbs starting to hit the dock. The fishing has also picked up on the outer sound with Great Bear, Meares Bluff, and Edward King all producing fish. Gear of choice has been the 5 coyotes in Cop Car, Blue & Green Metallic, and the always dependable Anchovy in the Green Clear, Purple Haze, and Army Truck patterns.Feel free to give us a call or go online to www.BigBearSalmonCharters.comTight Lines! The Big Bear Crew.

Hey All,Fabulous is about all we can say with the recent thigh pressure system in place. Warm temps and calm to moderate seas are on the menu for this upcoming weekend.Fishing is in the full swing with Chinook to 20lbs hitting the dock. The crew @ Big Bear weighed in the first Chinook of the 2012 Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby. Dirty Dog got it done with one pass at Meares Bluff. Once again the anchovy prevailed. Anchovy fished in the purple Haze, green/chartreuse, army truck and clear are all producing.It seems as though the fish are a little spread out with the big tides and strong N.W. winds but look for it to moderate and for the fish to settle into their usual haunts. Meares Bluff, Great Bear Rock and the Red Can are all great bets. Fish between 60 – 120 feet for the best results. Give us a call or check us out online for in-season specials.Tight lines,The Crew @ Big Bear

Hey all,Well, as promised, the weather gods delivered us an amazing weekend with lots of sun and mirror calm seas. The crew @ Big Bear was out in full force showing our guests what Ucluelet and area has to offer.

With our fleet out on the water Saturday and Sunday, we managed to fish a number of the inshore spots in Barkley Sound. Cree Island was our best bet Saturday as Big Bear 1 found a number of fish holding on the morning tide. The crew managed six fish weighing between 10.5 – 20 lbs. Big Bear 2 fished Great Bear and put four on board, the largest weighing in at 18 lbs. Sunday morning BB1 & BB2 were back on the water first thing. Both boats were at Cree Island and it was not long before they each had fish in the Tub. BB1 had the boys from Pacific Net & Twine into 2 nice fish weighing in at 18 & 19 lbs. A third, much larger fish was lost making the morning a successful trip.

Once again our gear of choice was anchovy fished in the clear UV, clear chartreuse, and green glo. The fish seem to be favoring the red glo hotspot and the chartreuse glo hotspot flashers. Another safe bet is the 5” coyote spoon in the green and blue metallic finished as well as the 4-5” silver horde in the half and half finish. There seems to be an abundance of needle fish in the area so don’t be afraid to try the needle fish hootchies in the tiger prawn, splatter back, and purple haze variations.

Hello from Ucluelet B.C. Well the weather is turning around and with it the fishing. The Crew @ Big Bear has been putting in the hours with some decent results.

The fish seem to be moving daily so it has been a little tough to keep on top of them. The Lighthouse Bank, Outside south bank and Barkely Sound have all been our best bets. Fishing the offshore deep and I mean right on the bottom is the ticket right now. The fish have yet to switch over to baitfish so the hootchie seems to be the go to gear. Try the green splatterback, witch doctor or armytruck. The needle fish patterns in the purple haze, lemon drop and blue green glo are taking fish in the sound consistently.

Halibut fishing is in full swing with a few chickens hitting the dock regularly. Word has it that the hali’s have been quite plentiful off of Long Beach and Florencia. Large herring, octopus and bellies will entice these tasty bottom dwellers. Also, drop the flasher and hootchie into the sand and troll them up if drifting is not your thing.

Look to see the first push of migratory fish to show up anytime. Reports from our partners up north say there are decent numbers south of Esperanza, so it’s a matter of time before we see these fish on our doorstep. Water temperatures over the last few days seem to be holding around 54 degrees. Combine this with the biomass of baitfish and we are in for a great start to the 2012 season on the West Coast of Vancouver Island.

Please give us a call if you want an up to the minute report or some information on how to get set up and out there fishing on the B.C. Coast.1-855-9 (SALMON)www.bigbearsalmoncharters.com

The Crew @ Big Bear would like to welcome everyone into the month of June with a stellar fishing report. With the start of a new month comes the start of our migratory runs.

Fishing over the weekend has been nothing but magnificent. Things did slow with the moon, but look for it to turn right back on over the next few days. There is a large bio-mass of Chinook salmon in the area now. Long Beach up to Portland pt. has been on fire. Avg. sizes are between 8-15 lbs. with a number of fish hitting the 20 lb. mark. It has been a primarily flasher-hootchy fishery. Our goto colour has been the glo splatterback. Other variations in the army truck, witch doctor and glo green are also producing consistently. The green glo, red glo, and purple and gold hotspots have been the flashers of choice. Sunday produced a number of fish in Barkley Sound. Anchovy was working well in the glo green, and u.v. Ryse Davis teasers. Big Bear 2 also saw the first significant amount of herring in the area. Lets hope that is the start of the

The halibut fishing has been equally as good in the same general areas as the salmon. Drop the gear into the mud and expect fish in the 15 to 40 lb. range. There was a 70 lb. fish trolled up the other day so give it a try. For the hali gear, large herring, octopus and bellies are producing equally.

Look for things to get only better with numbers and size as the runs strengthen over the next few weeks. Give us a call or go online to check out availability.Cheers,The Crew @ Big Bear

The Crew @ Big Bear would like to welcome our newest member to the team “Big Bear 3”. Yet another beautiful 282 Grady White sail fish is now plying the waters off of Ukee. With “Big Bear 4” only a week away, it is shaping up to be and awesome season with great savings and memories of a life time for our guests.

Fishing ReportBarkley SoundSalmon:The sound has been excellent over the past week with limits of Chinook hitting the dock. Most fish are in the 8-15 lb. range with a few hitting the 20 lb. mark. Big Bear 1 weighed in a beauty 22 lb 11 oz. Chinook caught by Tim McBeth at Swale Rk. This earns Tim 3rd place on the Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby. Way to go Tim!! There is a lot of firecracker herring in the sound right now so the small spoons and needle fish hootchies have been producing well. Tomics new 3 ½ inch series in the #602, Coyotes 4” in the green glo, blue metallic and army truck finishes are all working. As for hootchies, the glo green splatterback, witch doctor and purple haze will produce. Swale Rk., Harbour Entrance, Meares Bluff and Kirby are all good bets. The high slack seems to be the time to be there but fishing has been consistent throughout the day.

Halibut:Halibut on the inshore has been productive. Try the 200-300 ft. line in Imperial Eagle Channel. If anchoring or drifting try salmon belly, octopus or lg. herring. If trolling the flatties, try the turd hootchy in white, glo, and the classic brown turd. As well an extra-large herring in a teaser head is quite deadly for these tasty bottom dwellers.OffshoreSalmon:The offshore banks have been fishing well when the weather permits. Try inside south, Long Beach and Portland Pt. We have yet to see any of the larger bait such as pilchard or lg. herring show but with the end of the month approaching look for it to bulk up in the masses. Anchovy and herring behind the flasher, 4-5 “ coyotes in all of the favorite finishes as well as the flasher-hootchy combos are all producing chinook. There have also been a few coho showing up in the mix. Look to see these silvery beauties start to arrive in numbers towards the end of the month. Great action on the light tackle that’s for sure.

We have a few select dates available: $497.00 for two. Eight hours of guided fishing aboard one of our top of the line 282 Sailfish.June 20th-21stJuly 7th, 8th, & 11th*( you will be paired up with another couple to enjoy great savings and memories that will last you a lifetime)

Have a look at our website for our June special or just give us a call at our office to book your experience of a lifetime.

Fishing has been fairly steady lately with multiple fish days and some nice weather. The past few days have been those that fisherman dream about, flat calm seas, sunshine and, not to mention, incredible fishing. Long Beach, Portland Point, and South Bank have all been producing plenty of fish. Hoochie’s and needlefish seem to be the go-to pattern for producing the most action. The inshore fishery has also been producing some decent fish with Meares Bluff and Swale being the major producers. Each boat has come back with full limits of Chinook and it appears that there are a few hatchery Coho starting to show up offshore. Speaking of offshore, there are good numbers of more mature fish starting to arrive and the fishing is getting better every day.

With the nicer weather it allows us to get out and fish for Halibut a little more effectively. There were a number caught the other day off Long Beach with some better fish being brought in. Let’s hope with the end of June quickly approaching we will see much nicer weather and bigger fish showing up for the start July.

From all of us at Big Bear Salmon charters, tight lines and big smiles.

The crew @Big Bear Salmon Charters would like to welcome Malcom Carruthers to our team of knowledgeable and experienced guides. Malcom comes to us from the north end of the Haida Gwaii, bringing his wealth of knowledge to assist in making memories of a lifetime for our guests. Along with Malcom, “the boys” are geared and ready to hit Ucluelet waters with a serious bang as we approach the red hot months of July, August, and September.

Barkley Sound:Salmon: Salmon fishing in Barkley sound has been excellent over the last couple of weeks with large numbers of both feeders and migratory Chinook being caught. Cree Island, Meares Bluff, Kirby point, Swale Rock and Folger are all producing limits of ocean fresh fish. The first of the Coho runs are also well into the sound with a mix of both wild and hatchery fish available for the taking. Remember to check your regulations regarding retention of Coho in the sound and on the offshore waters.

Chinook:The Chinook are feeding primarily on needlefish in the sound. The needle fish hootchy in splatterback, army truck, and lemon drop have been lethal when paired with a gold betsy flasher from hot spot. The coyote spoons have also been producing huge, fished with or without a flasher. Try running a dummy flasher with approximately 6-8 feet of lead from the cannon ball and a naked spoon at an equal distance above the flasher. This makes for great action when not having to fight with the flasher. Popular spoons include the green/glo, copcar, blue metallic, and flat silver. The 3.5“ tomic in the 602 finish has also been a go-to spoon. Depths of 57 ft. to 120 ft. have been the most consistent.

Offshore:Chinook:The banks have been a little hit and miss as of late with no real rhyme or reason to where the fish will be from day to day. We are still waiting to see the biomass of bait fish show, primarily pilchards. Light house bank has been fishing well on the evening flood with reports of the odd tyee starting to come in. Long Beach, the Rats Nose and outside south have also been producing fish in the 10-20 lb. range. Hootchies and spoons are both producing in all of the usual patterns. There is also a large number of coho showing in the 4-8 lb. range. Depths have been anywhere from 80-140 ft. Basically hit the bottom and bring it up a bit.

Halibut:Halibut fishing has been good to excellent now that we are done with the large spring tides. Long Beach, Lighthouse bank and the rats nose have all been producing quality chickens with the odd larger fish in the mix. Berkely power grubs in white and glo fished on a 16 oz. jig has been very productive. Try tipping it with a small piece of belly for added scent. Extra-large herring, octopus and bellies fished on the spreader bar can also be very good. The dogfish have yet to show up so fishing bait has been quiet pleasant without the nuisance of the doggies.

Give us a call or check us out online for current specials and any additional information you may require to make your trip to the west coast memorable.Tight Lines,

Barkley Sound – Kirby Point and Swale Rock continue to be the hot spots in Barkley Sound. Pill Point Diplock and Cree are good as well. Hootchies and needlefish squirts still seem to be the best producers. Anchovies are also a good bet. Clear chartreuse, glow green and UV teaser heads also seem to be top producers. Try these heads with super Betsy or Purple Gold Flashers.

Halibut fishing in Barkley Sound has also been steady. Look for shoals and table tops that are 160 to 180 feet deep. Power grubs in glow and white rigged on a 16 oz. jig work well, also large Norwegian jigs and mudrakers are a sure bet. Bait works well but be prepared to release a lot of dog fish.

Off Shore –Long beach and light house bank are the placed to be. There are lots of Needlefish and Sand Lance out there with the talk of the odd pilchard. Fishing close to the bottom is working best for both Halibut and Chinook. Most boats are catching full limits of both Halibut and Salmon trolling hootchies or spoons on the bottom. Large spoons and plugs such as tomics are fishing well. 7” Tomic Cop Car spoons and JM2 Plugs have been very affective. When fishing off shore remember hatchery Coho only. When targeting Coho, try blue and silver coyote spoons closer to the surface.

Please remember when venturing offshore to check the weather often. Offshore weather changes very quickly and can leave you in a troubling situation.

We are well into July already and the fishing here in Ucluelet has been excellent. Calm seas and warm days have blessed the crew @ Big Bear. The boys have been filling the tubs with Chinook to 25 lbs. and Coho to 11 lbs. We are still awaiting our runs of larger Chinook which should be on the door step any day now. Halibut fishing has been equally as good with an 80 lb. flatty weighed in a couple of days ago. Prime time is here so give us a call for availability through till the end of September.

Offshore:

The usual hot spots are all producing fish, Light house bank, Rats nose and the Wreck are all fishing well. Depths have ranged from 60 ft. to 120 ft. The larger bait is starting to show so spoons and plugs from Tomic are working well. Try the 6 “ spoons in the 602, 232, 727 and the 158. Plugs in the 6-7 inch sizes with the same number patterns are a great bet as well. The gold fever, gold betsy, super betsy and gold purple have all been excellent choices for flashers. Down size the gear to 4-5 “ coyotes in the green glo, blue metallic, green metallic, and green flat are hitting coho consistently.

Inshore:

For those that do not want to venture out to the banks, all of the inshore spots are producing Chinook and coho. Florencia, Beggs Island, Great Bear, and down into the sound at Meares Bluff and Swale Rock have fished very well for this time of year. Look to see the first of the Robertson Creek fish to be showing and finishing up their feeding before they make their trek into the Stamp/Somass system. This provides great opportunities of fish to that magical 40 lb. + mark. Hoochies and needlefish hootchies have been working great. Anchovy in your favorite teasers as well has been the ticket. There does seem to be an issue this year with Mackeral so try to up the hook size to keep these voracious feeders off of the gear.

With August approaching so too does “fogust”. Please ensure that all of your electronics are up to speed with current software ect. Please do be mindful that there are smaller vessels using the same areas and some are not equipped with today’s technology. That being said, limit your speed when entering and exiting the harbor and surrounding shorelines. If you don’t already have a radar reflector in place it might be a good time to make the small investment and have one installed.

Well it is the middle of August and the crew @ Big Bear are out there putting in the hours to find fish for our guests. Too say it has been a stomper season as predicted would be “ a fisherman's lie”. It has been a bit up and down. One day on, one day off. There has been a warm water current centered off of Tofino and Ucluelet this summer. It seems to have held the biomass of bait fish well offshore. The pilchard have been holding south of us and out on Big Bank.

The Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby is going strong with entries hitting the scales daily. The leader stands at 38.8 lbs with a forty due any day to make things more interesting. The hatchery depends on the sales of these tickets to keep things operating at capacity so please take the time to enter the derby. You just never know, you may get that entry that will not only entitle you to the monthly cash prize but also a chance to come back in September and fish the two day fish off derby for a chance of up to $250, 000.00 hidden weight prize.

Barkely Sound:The sound has been producing well over the last few weeks as we see the start of the Robertson Crk. fish enter on their final push into the canal and into the Stamp and Somass river systems. There was a beauty weighed in at 58 lbs. taken at the wall in Bamfield. Awesome!! Cree Island, Meares Bluff, Kirby pt. just to name a few have been producing Chinook to 35 lbs. Anchovy and flasher seems to be doing the trick. The flasher-hootchy combo is also working well in all of the favorite colours. The fish seem to be moving through quickly, so give the areas farther into the sound a shot on the flood. Pill pt., Diplock, Assits Isle are all great bets. Remember to check the regulations regarding the retention of Chinook and Coho on the inside.

OffShore:The offshore waters are all over the map. Hit it right and you are in for great angling. Big Bank has been producing limits of Chinook, coho and halibut. The Rats nose, Whale’s Tale, and Outside Wreck are all great bets. The Chinook are avg. 10-20 lbs, lots of hatchery coho and halibut to 40 lbs. Remember to take care in releasing the wild coho. If possible try to use a gaff or pliers next to the boat to minimize scale loss and stress to these magnificent fish. When the dfo realizes that the restrictions that are in place are doing more harm than good to the “ wild coho” maybe they will rethink their reasoning and allow anglers to take their limit of fish and not work through the so called wilds to get their hatchery fish. The Hyson Bank, S.W. Corner, and Lighthouse Bank are all producing fish to 30 lbs. Flasher-hootchy, 4-6” spoons and plugs are all working.

We still have a few spots available towards the end of the month, as well as in the first couple of weeks of September. If fishing was anything like last September look to finish the season with a bang.

Until next time the Crew @ Big Bear wish you tight lines and silver smiles.

Well it’s a wrap!!! The season is coming to an end with Big Bear putting the cubs away for another winter of hibernation. To say the least, it was another banner season for the crew. Limits of salmon, halibut and ground fish blessed the guests all summer long.

With the end of the season comes the 3rd Annual Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby. This year proved to be a test of will and skill combined. Fishing was not what it was last year, but that only proves that working harder would bring that lucky angler the top prize and bragging rights. It just so happens that Big Bear 1 was up to the test and the crew was all over it. Captained by our head guide Darren Dickenson, Mike Tait of Port Coquitlam, Ken McPhee of Vancouver and Emily Nelson of Ucluelet teamed up to show the other anglers just how they were going to take top spot in this years “FISH OFF”.On Day 2 of the two day event at approximately 10:30 a.m. while fishing at Big Bank, the starboard rod went off and it was go time. With Mike Tait on the rod, a 15 min. battle ensued bringing the top fish to the boat. The crew new they had it. Registered, the team was able to sit back and only hope it would hold first place.With Top Honors for a 23.13 lb. chinook going to Mike Tait of Port Coquitlam B.C., he took home the top prize of $5000.00 and a handful of other great prizes. Congratulations to Mike!!!

Fishing Report:

Fishing remains strong for Coho and Chinook out on La Perouse Bank. Limits are attainable in only a few hours if you are able to get onto the fish. Depths of 90-130 ft have been consistant. All the regular tricks are working with the flasher-coyote combo being the go to. Whole herring in a large teaser head fished above a dummy flasher has also been quite productive. Remember that there is a wild coho release in effect so try to minimize any damage to these majestic fish by releasing them as easily as possible.

There should also be numerous coho and the odd spring entering Barkley Sound and the Port Alberni Canal. Limits inside the sound and the inlet increase from two to four coho as of sept 1st. Sunny calm fall days make it a great time to get out and enjoy these silver beauties while they are still silver fresh.

Halibut fishing is now closed as of the 9th so anything incidental catches must be released until the opening that will be announced sometime in the new year.

Be sure to take care of all your gear before it is put away for the winter as to not open up the tackle boxes in the spring and find a rusty mess. The same goes for your boats, proper winterization will only make for an easier start up when next season arrives.

Hey Everyone,Well its only 33 days until spring and the Crew @ Big Bear are working away at getting things ready for the upcoming sports fishing season. Things are looking great and the outlook even better for the migratory returns of Chinook and coho to the West Coast of Vancouver Island. Be sure to take all of the necessary steps to ensure that your boats and tackle are in proper operating order before that first trip out. If you have never ventured out onto the WCVI, give us a call or better yet book a day of heart pounding fishing here in Ucluelet B.C. We are offering great pre-season rates to all of our past guests as well as new guests.

Fishing Report:

Winter Chinook fishing is in full swing with fish to 18lb. being taken right at our door step. The Red Can, Beggs Isl, Crow and Barkley Sound. Anchovy fished on a 5-6 ft. lead behind the Silver Betsy has been the go to rig thus far. 3 ½ coyote in the green/white, green/silver, copcar and the mongoose fished behind your favorite flasher will also prove lethal. As we progress a little further into March look for the lg. herring to move in to spawn. With that being said, it’s time to pull out the bait and fish the cuttplug. Winter springs, especially fish feeding on the larger bait will become less active therefore fishing slow with the cutty can be very productive.Drop us a line for up to date reports or to book your trip of a lifetime. Tight lines,The Crew @ Big Bear1-855-9 (salmon)www.bigbearsalmoncharters.com